Welcome to my obsession with painter Paula Vaughan!
Cover photo: August from Book 56, Quilts For All Seasons. Stitched by me and framed at Hobby Lobby.
~~~ Please note that this is a fan page – I am not affiliated with Paula in any way, except as a long-time fan of her work. I’m not able to help you find cross-stitch patterns except for the hints included on this page. I do not sell her designs, nor do I sell completed cross-stitch pieces at this time. ~~~
Paula was born in Chaleybeate, Mississippi. She had 2 brothers. Her family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, when she was 4. Many of her paintings were inspired by her grandparents’ home in the small town of Chaleybeate. Families would gather in the evenings to tell stories and listen to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio. The beautiful simplicity of that peaceful, unchanging way of life inspired her to paint scenes from that time. Her mother was a talented seamstress, & she often made new dresses for Paula to wear. Paula describes going downtown to look at dresses in the store windows, then coming home and watching her mother cut out a pattern for the dress they just saw!
Paula married Tommy Vaughan in 1965. When their two sons were toddlers, she needed a creative outlet and took the advice of a sister-in-law who encouraged her to try painting. She used her son’s high chair as her easel! She began painting with oil paints, but discovered that she could best capture her nostalgic images with watercolors. Paula never intended to sell her work, but a neighbor rescued several of her paintings from the trash and took them to a local gallery to be framed. The gallery asked if she’d sell some of them. She reluctantly agreed, expecting to maybe sell a few, but soon the gallery was asking for more. She couldn’t keep up with the demand, so she published some prints.
Leisure Arts began converting Paula’s watercolors into cross-stitch patterns in 1985. She says that when they contacted her, she thought, “Oh boy, these people are nuts! They want to do WHAT with my paintings?” She’d never heard of cross-stitch before. And the rest is history! (These 3 paragraphs are summarized from interviews published in “For the Love of Cross Stitch” magazine in March 1990, November 1994, & May 2000.)
Tommy has now passed, and Paula has retired from painting. The last I heard, she was living with one of her sons in Tennessee.
Three women have adapted Paula’s designs into cross-stitch charts. The first woman was Linda Culp Calhoun, then Jane Chandler, & finally Carol Emmer. They have distinctive styles, with Linda’s work generally being simpler, Jane’s work the most detailed with many 1/4-stitches and lots of back-stitching, & Carol’s work a bit simpler than Jane’s but more detailed than Linda’s. I love all of Paula’s cross-stitch designs, but have a definite favorite of these 3 ladies.
I discovered this lovely artist way back in 1997. I’d just started cross-stitching again at age 20, and wanted to stitch designs with quilts in them, as quilting is another of my favorite hobbies. I received 2 of her books for Christmas – Quilts For All Seasons and Quilts From The Bible. I’ve been a fan of her work ever since.
I own a complete collection of her cross-stitch patterns, and have stitched around 50 of her designs, from small designs such as bookmarks, single roses made into pincushions, & a needlebook, to large pieces framed for display on my home’s walls! I always have a Paula Vaughan design in progress, although I don’t take time to cross-stitch every single day.
I also own several of her prints. I don’t know if any of her prints are still available for purchase brand-new, but you may be able to find them on eBay, Etsy, or through a Google search. I once found a framed print of her work at a thrift store, so take a quick glance at the artwork the next time you’re in a resale shop & you may also find a treasure!
Scroll down to the end of this post if you’re looking for hints on how to purchase some of these patterns for yourself.
This post will serve as an “index” to all of my other posts about Paula’s work. Have I mentioned that I’m obsessed with her work??
Paula Vaughan’s Book Listings
Books Master (text only – no links or photos)
Books 51-60 (Books 56 & 60 have their own blog posts linked below.)
Books 61-70 (Books 63, 66, & 68 have their own blog posts linked below.)
Books 71-80 (Books 72, 73, 76, & 80 have their own blog posts linked below.)
Other Books or Patterns (including a few that aren’t cross-stitch patterns)
There are several books with enough patterns that they need their own pages to show them all:
Book 56: Quilts For All Seasons
Book 63: Bouquets and Blossoms
Book 68: At Home with Paula Vaughan
Book 76: Quilts From the Garden
Book 80: Pillows From Paula’s Garden
The Romance of Paula Vaughan – 6 cross-stitch patterns plus projects in other crafts
The Best of Paula Vaughan – compilation of 26 cross-stitch designs from earlier books
The Best of Paula Vaughan, Book 2 – compilation of 25 cross-stitch designs from earlier books
Blog Posts Featuring Designs I’ve Stitched
Just to show off… here are some links to blog posts about Paula Vaughan projects that I’ve made. (Check back – I’ll add posts here as soon as I write them!)
~~ COMING SOON ~~
Paula Vaughan Cross Stitch group on Facebook
I’m a member of the Paula Vaughan Cross Stitch fan group on Facebook. The group is ONLY for discussion of Paula Vaughan’s work, not for pieces by other designers, which I appreciate because it keeps the group focused on just Paula’s work. This is a good group to check if you’re trying to purchase some of her patterns, as people will occasionally list some of her books for sale, or you may ask if anyone has a pattern to sell. Note that this is not my group – I’m not the owner or an admin, just a happy member. 🙂 If you do join the group, I’d love a shout-out that you found the group through my blog!
Collecting Hints
Unfortunately, all of Paula’s books are out of print at this time.
A few patterns are available in PDF format at Leisure Arts’ website. This site is the ONLY legal source of PDF patterns of Paula’s work. (Beware of sellers on eBay, Etsy, or other marketplaces that offer PDF downloads of her work. Not only are those illegal, but people who have bought them say that many of them are of such poor quality that they’re unusable.)
For all of her other patterns, look anywhere that you’d typically purchase used books: the Paula Vaughan Cross Stitch group on Facebook, Facebook Marketplace, Etsy, eBay, Amazon, thrift stores, local yard sales or garage sales or estate sales, cross-stitch “destash” groups on Facebook, a friend’s craft room (you should probably ask before “acquiring” books from a friend…!), or a Google search for the name of the book that you wish to buy.
One note about used book resellers: Most of them price their goods so that they are likely to sell. However, some sellers price their merchandise at extremely high prices. Amazon Marketplace sellers do this sometimes. I don’t understand it! So if a book’s price seems ridiculously high… it probably is! It’s up to you whether you pay the too-high price or keep looking.
My #1 hint for finding Paula’s work? Search for her by name, “Paula Vaughan” on whichever site you’re using. However, ALSO search for the **INCORRECT** spelling “Paula Vaughn.” Her name is printed on the front of every book, yet many used book sellers can’t seem to spell her name correctly! I don’t understand it… but don’t let a seller’s poor spelling make you miss out on purchasing one of her books. 🙂
If you have any other hints for finding Paula’s patterns, or websites of shops still carrying them, please comment on this post.
If you’ve stitched some of her pieces, or just love her work as much as I do, feel free to comment as well!
Happy Stitching!
— Elizabeth
Congratulations on your website launch. I started cross stitching in the early 80’s and completed several patterns from PV’s work. Due to raising children and work I stopped cross stitching and somehow lost all my boxes with more of her patterns and cross stitching supplies. I have now retired and have been collecting her patterns and stocking up on all supplies needed in order to complete more of her work.
Nancy, I’m sorry to hear about losing your patterns and supplies! I’m glad you’re able to resume your hobby now that you’re retired. Do you remember which Paula Vaughan designs you stitched? Do you still have those completed pieces? Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you. Yes I completed a Cameo of the Past, A Little Girl’s Fancy and From This Day Forward.
Congratulations on your launching of this website. I am a huge admirer of Paula Vaughan’s patterns and own several of them. I am currently working on my first PV pattern, Rose of Sharon which I find very challenging.
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂 That is a beautiful design, and it does look complicated. I’m sure it will be beautiful when it’s finished!